Should you throw away a plant that has been overfertilized? I guess I'm not completely sure that's the problem, but the leaves of my hosta -which started out green and white (not sure which variety)- are all seeping in faint yellow. As I am still very new at gardening, I only just learned about fertilizer burn. After purchasing it from the store, I transplanted it to a larger container and fed it with both controlled release pellets and liquid fertilizer - thinking I was giving it a boost. When watering it the other day, I saw dark brown liquid coming out the bottom...and upon googling, learned about fertilizer burn. So, the question is, is it worth flushing the soil (I did this quite a bit yesterday and the water is still quite brown)...and saving the plant? Or should I just ditch the plant and the soil, and start again? Thanks!
Are you sure that the brown stuff is fertilizer and not soil runoff? If this were my hosta I would plant it in the ground (shady location) and await developments. New plants should not be fertilized immediately. When you do, do so with restraint. Good luck!
Thanks for responding! No, I guess I'm not sure it's fertilizer burn....but it's new soil and it hasn't responded the same way with other plants. I just thought it made sense. What about the yellowed leaves? Should I cut them off?
How many leaves are we talkin' here? I'd let the plant be for now, I think. Maybe the yellowing is being caused by too much water! A photo of your hosta would be helpful in the diagnosis of what's up with it.
